Caricaturing Memory: Social Protest in Nicaragua of April 2018
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15517/wa7ecc15Keywords:
Social movements, Dictatorship, Collective memory, Symbolic languages, Visual artsAbstract
Introduction: The study examines the construction of memory in Nicaragua following the 2018 protests based on the cartoons of Pedro X Molina. The research is framed within historical memory and cultural representations.
Objective: To analyze the representations within Pedro X Molina’s editorial cartoons in the construction of memory regarding the April 2018 social movements in Nicaragua, in order to identify symbolic codes and resources used for the annual commemoration of these events through 2025.
Method and technique: A content analysis approach was employed, integrating qualitative insights derived from the cartoons to explore the development of visual codes with quantitative analysis to identify trends and outliers within the illustrations. The corpus consists of cartoons published in two books by the author and in the newspaper Confidencial.
Results: The construction of memory through political cartoons demonstrated that humor serves as a mechanism for processing traumas experienced by both the artist and the general population. To this end, a collective memory was articulated through codes that included national symbols, the differentiation between Sandinismo and Orteguismo, and the characterization of the dictatorial couple as a ruthless entity in opposition to the people.
Conclusions: Editorial cartoons represent a collective memory strategy that bolsters the call for social resistance during times of crisis. Humor, as a subversive act, facilitates the construction of a counter-hegemonic memory.
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References
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